TVT Records was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb, who initially launched the label from his New York City apartment in 1985 with the release of Television's Greatest Hits. It was an album featuring theme songs from various TV shows; hence the label's acronym, TVT (Tee Vee Toons). The album proved so successful that a total of eight volumes would ultimately be released. TVT then turned its attention to signing new acts of various...
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TVT Records was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb, who initially launched the label from his New York City apartment in 1985 with the release of Television's Greatest Hits. It was an album featuring theme songs from various TV shows; hence the label's acronym, TVT (Tee Vee Toons). The album proved so successful that a total of eight volumes would ultimately be released. TVT then turned its attention to signing new acts of various genres. The label had offices in New York, Berlin, and London.
The label's publishing arm, TVT Music Publishing, also had success making the top-ten list of Billboard Magazine's Publishers Air Play Chart for each quarter of 2006.
A sub-label, TVT Soundtrax, released albums for films, TV shows, and theater productions. They included Mortal Kombat, Blade, Miss Congeniality, Starsky & Hutch, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, among others.
In 1992, TVT purchased Chicago-based Wax Trax! Records, another independent label that had been successful in the 1980s with the then-new industrial music genre. Wax Trax is credited for helping to bring industrial music to the forefront. Wax Trax! would continue to run for several years after being purchased by TVT, but would subsequently be folded into its parent.
TVT Records also operated TVT Distribution, an independent distribution company. The distribution arm distributed all TVT Records releases as well as other indie labels, which included Vagrant, OverCore, Rap Hustlers, Quannum, Battle Axe, and others. The label was Billboard Magazine's #1 Independent Label for five consecutive years (2001-2006).
TVT lost a ruling when a Florida judge ruled that Miami-based Slip N Slide Records was allowed release material from rapper Pitbull that was recorded before the artist signed with TVT Records. It was seeking to block the releases of the recordings. The New York-based debtor filed for Chapter 11 on February 19 after Slip-N-Slide Records Inc. was awarded a $9.12 million judgment in a lawsuit brought against TVT in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for tortious, or intentional, interference with advantageous business relationships. The record label asked the court to reduce the judgment, which the court did, in November, to $4.58 million. However, TVT was still not able to pay the amount awarded to Slip-N-Slide, court papers said. The court stayed the judgment until December 7, but in January Slip-N-Slide received a writ of garnishment in Florida and froze TVT's Bank of America bank accounts in Florida. (Daily Deal/The Deal)[1]
On February 19, 2008, Gottlieb, who was TVT's president, reported "This is not the end of TVT."[2] Then the company sold its assets in an auction that was held on June 12, 2008, in New York, NY. The winning bid was put by The Orchard.
